Off-topic from 12 December to 30 January

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate on 29 January
"To draw its picture is like a blind man touching a snowflake," said Paul Dirac of his own work. "One touch and it's gone"... more

Friday fun via Science, Engineering & Technology Blog by Anne on 30 January
Would you like to have power over the planets and their orbits? Check out this interactive tool written by Mike Asbury and Dr. DougHamilton which allows you to design a planetary system and see whether it works and whether the planets will support life.

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate on 24 January
Ill-fitting gowns, lavender candles, and whale songs. No wonder men struggle with the spa experience... more

On the eleventh day of Christmas... via The Adam Smith Institute Blog on 3 January
My true love sent to me: eleven pipers piping. It might refer to the eleven loyal apostles.
Pipers are becoming harder to get, because of noise at work regulations. Scotland's army pipers are only allowed to practice 25 minutes a day to protect their hearing. When the regulations were put forward a year ago, some bright spark pointed out that the crowd roar at Anfield, Old Trafford and the like often exceeds the 90p decibel limit, so presumably premier league footballers should be wearing ear muffs. Likewise orchestras playing the 1812 Overture. There were red faces all round, but the regulators gave the entertainment industries eighteen months to find a solution to their problem. Their problem? It's the regulators' problem!

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate on 9 January
When people posed for portraits in the 19th century, they tried to convey status, character, modernity. For photography, not much has changed... more

Couple served with legal papers via Facebook via BBC News Technology UK Edition on 16 December
An Australian lawyer has served a debtor couple with legal papers via Facebook, in what is thought to be a first.

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate on 11 December
Chinese art and us: we shipped our vanguard dreams abroad and have brought home a cheaper imitation art, one with the fatal taint of melamine... more

100 Years of the Roundel via Librarians' Internet Index: New This Week on 3 December
This presentation celebrates 100 years of the roundel logo, which "first appeared on [London] Underground station platforms in 1908. The bar and circle, as it became known, comprised a solid red enamel disc and horizontal blue bar." Features an illustrated history of the roundel logo, images from a roundel scavenger hunt, a roundel matching pairs games, and sections on roundels in architecture, badges, publicity, and signs. From the London Transport Museum.

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate on 25 November
Broccoli trees against craggy backdrop of sourdough mountains, a lonely boat tossed on a red cabbage sea. Carl Warner's edible fantasies... more

What A New Dentist Taught Me About Explanation via Common Craft - Explanations In Plain English - by leelefever on 12 December
Over my life as a dental patient, dentists have told me to pay close attention to brushing the back of my bottom front teeth. Unfortunately, this piece of professional advice had a hard time getting into my daily routine. That changed recently – I'm now much more likely to brush these teeth – and it's because a new dentist took an extra 30 seconds to explain something important – why.
I'm surprised that Lee hadn't already asked since he has, in my opinion, become one of the greatest exponents of "why?". He's also good at "what?" and "how?"

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